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The judgment also grants them the right to hunt and use the natural resources such as ochre for ceremonial body painting. The ruling, by Australia's federal court, is a recognition that the Ngaan-yatjarra have maintained their ties with the remote desert region since Western Australia was colonised by Britain in 1829.

About 5,000 Ngaanyatjarra live in a dozen widely scattered communities, where English is the third or fourth language. Robin Smythe, an Aboriginal leader on the Ngaanyatjarra Council, claimed that the ruling was important because it would enable his people to look after the sacred sites.

"Not like before," he added.

The handover will also strengthen the tribe's position in negotiations with mining firms.

Much of outback Australia is rich in uranium, iron ore, gold and other minerals. Several firms are already exploring in the area.

The native title claim, as it is known, covers a vast area of the Gibson and Great Victoria deserts of Western Australia.

The concept that Australia was an empty land - terra nullius - and therefore ripe for settlement when Captain Cook landed on the east coast in 1770 was overturned by a 1992 legal case. The ruling recognised 40,000 years of Aboriginal settlement and established the principle of native title.

A native title claim can co-exist with the rights of previous claimants such as sheep or cattle ranchers.

So the Ngaanyatjarra's victory will not lead to the eviction of white farmers. "It's always been their land," said a spokesman for the Native Title Tribunal. "It's just that their rights weren't recognised by white law.

"It will mean that if a company wants to mine, they will have to seek permission. Previously they could just go ahead, even if it meant destroying a sacred site."

The tribe's homeland is a sparsely inhabited region of red sand, spiky spinifex grass and scrub, roamed by feral camels, emus and kangaroos.

The rights to the vast area were granted at a special outdoor ceremony by Chief Justice Michael Black, of the federal court. Hundreds of Aborigines gathered for the historic event at the isolated community of Jameson, also known as Mantamaru. Some travelled hundreds of miles to witness the handover.

The battle for control of the land goes back to 1982, when members of the tribe drove south to the state capital of Perth to lobby the government of Western Australia.

Mr Smythe said Aboriginal elders who have since died would have been delighted with yesterday's victory.